Sewing-machine ruffler.



W. R. PARSONS.

I SEWING MACHINE RUFPLER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1906.

928,792. Patented July 20, 1909.

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UNITED PATENT OFFTQE.

WINSLOW It. PARSONS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHICAGO TITLE 8: TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEWING-MACHINE RUFFLER.

To all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that I, lVINsLow R. Parsons, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sewing- Machine Rumors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to improve the etliciency and render more positive and accurate that class of sewing machine ruiilers in which the rutl'ling blades are operated from the needle bars of the machines, as also to provide ru'lllers which are adapted for a wider range of work than similar ru'lllers at present in use.

To this end the invention comprises certain novel constructions and combinations as will hereinafter more fullyappear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a. side View of the improved ru'tller. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the rear end. of the milling blade carrier, with an adjustable guide attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a detail edge view of the :uljustable guide shown in Fig. 2. Fig. t is a. central transverse section of the improved rutl'ler. Fig. 5 is a detail bottom view of the adjustable foot piece of the rutlier, and Fig. (3 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 7 is a detail plan view of an adjustable edge stitching guide, and Fig. 8 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 9 is a central longitudinal section of the improved rulfler with the upper portion thereof broken away. Figs. 10 and 11 are detail views showing two different forms of trimming which can be made on the improved rufiler. Fig. 12 is a detail section, lengthwise of the rutlier, through the foot portion thereof and in a plane denoted by line 1212, Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, 10 denotes the frame or base plate of the rather and which is of somewhat heavy sheet metal, the said frame having a foot portion 9, and a raised shank portion 11 by which the ruflier may be attached to the presser-bar of a sewing machine in a well known manner.

Rising from the frame 10, and preferably integral therewith, is a standard 12 provided with a pivot 13 on which are mounted the pendulous lever 1d and operating lever 15,'said operating lever being forked in the usual manner for engagement with apin or stud on the needle-bar of the machine. The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 7, 1906.

Patented. July 20, 1909.

Serial No. 804,635.

lever 14 is provided with steps or lugs 16 and 17 which will. be engaged by the operating lever, or by a regulating lever carried by the latter, so that said lever lat. will be operated from said lever 15 with a certain amount of lost motion depending upon the position of adjustment of said regulating lever, which is not herein shown as it forms no part of the present invention, but which will preferably be of the construction shown in my Patent No. 356,849 granted Feb. l, 188?. The pendulous or secondary lever 14: is connected by a pivot 18 with an upwardly extending lug 19 on the ruflling blade carrier 20 to which latter is attached, by rivets or otherwise, the ru'l'l'ling blade 21. Removably attached to the frame or base plate 10 is an arm 22 to which is secured a separator plate 23.

The parts thus far described are, or may be, of well known construction, and the present improvements will now be more particularly described.

In sewing machine ru'lllers of the class to which this invention relates the power required for reciprocating the rufl'ling blades is usually applied at one side of the rutiiing blade carriers, and in forcing the rutiiing blades forward in the ru'li'ling operations there is more or les' ide strain on the ruftiing blade carriers which tends to divertthem from right line movements; and, under considerable strain, as when the heavier classes of goods are being ruffled, more or less imperfect work is likely to result. To obviate this objection the present improved rufller comprises a guide which overhangs the milling blade and its carrier, and which is engaged by an upward projection on the carrier, so that as the said carrier is reciprocated back and forth it will be positively guided in its movements, and cannot therefore departfrom a straight line. To this end, in the present improved coi'istruction, the ruftiing blade carrier 20 is provided with an upward extension Ql which is continued laterally in the form of an arm 25 overhang ing the body portion of the said carrier, thus providing a space between said arm and carrier for the free passage of a strip of cloth and a piping, when using the adjustal'ile edge-stitching guide 35, hereinafter described, for the various kinds of work for which it is adapted. The said arm 25 is provided at its forward end with an upwardly forth in the ruftling operations. The slot 29 -rutliing blade will be centrally and positively A carrier and rutlling blade.

the ruiiling blade carrier is much better redevices on the frames of the rultling attachconducted through the ruttler above the strip projecting lu 26 preferably terminating at I its upper end in an enlarged portion, as more clearly shown in Fig. 4, having upper and lower convex shoulders 27 and 28 which tend to center the said lug in a longitudinal slot 29 formed in a guiding arm or plate 30 extending from and preferably integral with the frame or base plate 10. The upper corners of the walls of said slot are preferably somewhat rounded, so as to cooperate with the opposing rounded shoulders 27 and 28 on the lug 26 in centering the said lug, as the reciprocating carrier is moved back and is preferably centrally located laterally with reference to the rutlling blade carrier, and in a direct line in front in the position which will be occupied by the needle, so that the guided in its reciprocating movements by the upwardly extending lug 26 on the rattling blade carrier working in the slot 29 of the guide 30 which overhangs the rutliing blade Owing to the fact that the guiding device above referred to overhangs the ruttling blade and is located about centrally thereof laterally, or approximately so, the side strain on sisted and the movements of the said carrier and its rutliing blade are much more reliably controlled than is possible with the constructions heretofore in use in which the guiding ments were located at the sides of the ruffling blade carriers. Thus the overhanging arm 25 not only provides means by which the rullling blade carrier may be positively centered, and the ruttling blade positively guided in its reciprocating movements, but the said arm provides between itself and the body of the ruttling blade carrier a passage through which the cloth or piping may be to be rutlied, in using the edge-stitching guide 35, in substantially a horizontal plane, and the various strips or pieces of fabric may thus be guided with more uniformity than is possible when, as in prior constructions, the rufliing strip and its band were not directed in a straight line to the needle.

It is desirable that the presser foot portion of a rutl'ler of the class to which this invention relates should be of such a character as to enable it to adjust itself to different thicknesses of goods or inequalities in the work, and to this end the presser foot portion of the ruilier bearing directly on the goods should be capable of a limited universal movement. WVith this result in view the foot piece 31 beneath the presser-foot portion 9 of the frame or base plate 10, and which is loosely attached to said foot piece 9, is provided 011 its upper side with a central convex boss 33 entering a concave recess in the bottom of the presser-foot portion 9, so that the said foot piece or sole 31 will be capable of a limited rocking movement in all directions. The said foot piece 81 is loosely attached to the foot portion 9 of the frame or base plate 10 by a pivot pin or rivet 32 beneath the upper head of which is a spring plate or washer ey-lwhich will yield sutliciently to permit the said foot piece 31 to adjust itself in all directions to inequalities in the work. The hole in the said footpiece 31 is of somewhat greater diameter than the pivot-pin or rivet 32 so that said foot-piece is loosely mounted on the footportion 9 of the frame 10. is the central convex boss 33, fitting in a concave soc :et in the bottom of the footportion 9, permits of a certain limited movement of the footpiecelZ-B in all directions, the usual transverse shoulder (see Fig. 9) on the bottom of said foot piece will be free to adapt itself to the forward end of the rutlling blade 21, so that said shoulder and the extreme end of said blade may maintain their proper parallel relations to each other notwithstanding inequalities in the work. Any suitable means may be provided to prevent the foot piece 31 from turning too far horizontally on its central boss as by a pin or projection 8 on the foot portion 9 loosely entering a hole 38 in said footpiece. The foot piece 31 is provided with a needle hole or opening 37 registering with a needle-hole L0 in the foot portion 9 of the frame or base plate 10.

To adapt the attachment for certain classes of work, for which other similar ru'lllers are not adapted, a laterally adjustable edge stitching guide 35 is provided; said. guide being formed with a transverse slot 36, through which passes the rivet 32, and also with a needle slot 39 which will register with the needle holes or openings l0 and 87 above referred to. The said edge stitching guide is frictionally held in place by the spring plate or washer 34:, and may be ad justed laterally within the limits afforded by the slot 36. The body portion 41 of the said edge stitching guide lies flat on the top of the foot portion 9 of the frame or base plate 10 beneath the spring washer 3st, and, for ward of-said body portion 4-1, said guide is provided with a downwardly bent portion 42, conforming to the vertical edge of the presser-foot portion 9, and terminating at its bottom in a shoulder, at the rear end of the horizontal part or extension 43, which bears on the front edge of the upper surface of the foot piece 81; and, as the said edge stitching guide is of spring metal, said shoulder has a tendency to tilt the forward end of said foot piece downward, as denoted in Fig. 9, and permits the said foot piece to yield when sufficient force is opposed to the spring stress of the said guide. At the front end of said horizontal part or extension 43 tension 43 and the bottom portion 45 of the said fold, the said slot 44 being closed at lts ends, as indicated in Fig. 7. The said guide is also provided between its outer end and the vertical portion 42 with an open i ended slot 44 The slots 44 and 44 provide means, above the rufiling blade, whereby certain strips of goods can be passed through the rutlier above the ruftling strip and stitched to the work simultaneously with the ruftling operation; and as the said edge stitching guide may be adjusted laterally beneath the spring washer 34 the strips passing through the said slots 44 and 44 may be guided in such positions relative to the needle that the lines of stitching through said strips may be at any desired distances from the edges thereof.

The rutlling blade carrier is provided with a short guide slot 46, and near its end with a longer guide slot 47 preferably provided with enlarged end portions 48. A guide 49 is preferably attached to the rufiiing blade carrier, said guide being of thin metal and being ally engaging a bar forming the extreme end of said carrier, and such frictionally held guide 49 may be adjustable laterally on said bar when desired. Thesaid guide 49 is provided with an open ended slot or passage 51 between two arms 52 which are joined together at one end of the said guide by the portion 53, and the thin metal composing the rear arm 52 is bent down on itself and turned under or folded inward to form an arm 54 between which and the'arm 52 above it is an open ended guide slot or passage which, however, opens laterally in a direction opposite the guide slot 51. The guide 49 is intended to be used as a ruffle strip and band guide; and as the slotor passage between the arms 52 and 54 opens laterally in a direction opposite the slot or passage 51 the strips which are to be guided in said slots or passages may be inserted laterally in opposite directions, and thus the said slots. the end walls of which afford guiding surfaces, are adapted to serve as right and left hand guides. The said guide 49 may be adjusted laterally on the ruftling blade carrier to lo cate it in such positions as to bring the strips passing through said guide slots or passages into any desired position or alinement' relative to the ruffiing blade and the needle of the machine.

The improved ruttler herein shown and described. in addition to its adaptation for do taneously stitching the same to a band, may be used for the production of a large variety of fancy rutlling or plaiting, and is fitted for provided with hooked lips 50 frictionmg ordinary rutfiing, with or without simuldoing some kinds of work which cannot be done on any of the ruflhng attachments now in use.

If it be desired to produce the plaited trimming shown in Fig. 10, with a narrow ribbon or folded strip of cloth, such ribbon or strip is. inserted in the guide slot 46 in the ruttling blade carrier 20 and is passed thence forward beneath the ruffiing blade to the needle, while the strip or garment to which the plaited trimming is to be sewed is passed beneath the separator plate 23 for the stitch ing operation. To produce the rufliing trimming shown in Fig. 11 a rufliing strip, of suitable width to be guided through the slot 47, is first hemmed on both edges with a nar row hemmer, and is then passed through the said slot and beneath the rufliing blade 21, the cloth or garment to which the ruflling trimming is to be sewed being passed beneath the separator plate 23 for the stitching operation. The enlarged end portions 48 of the slot 47 are for the purpose of accommodating the thicker hemmed edges of the strip, but instead of a hemmed strip a ribbon or other strip having selvage edges may be used for a'ruflling strip. A very fine fancy trimming of two colors can be produced by passing a strip to be plaited through the guide slot 46, and a strip of a different color through the guide slot 47, both strips passing below the rufliing blade 21 to the needle, and the garment or cloth to which the trimming is to be attached being passed beneath the separator. plate 23. As the guide slots 46 and 47 have closed ends the rufiiing or plaiting strips, when of a width substantially the same as the lengths of said slots, will be guided automatically and without any special attention on the part of the attendant.

To utilize the improved rulfler for edge stitching a band to a ruffle at one operation a folded band may be passed through the opening between the overhanging arm 25 and the rutlling blade carrier 20 and through the guide slot 44 in the edge stitcher; and, owing to the fact that said edge stitcher is laterallyadjustable, it may be so located as to bring the line of stitchingnearer to or farther from the edge of the folded band. The ruflling strip to which the band is to be attached may be passed downward through the guide slot 51 of the guide 49, and thence beneath the rufliing blade carrier and ruffling blade. A band to which the ruflling is to be stitched may, if desired, be passed downward between the rear arm 52 of the guide 49 and the arm 54 of said guide, and thence beneath the separator plate 23, so that a band and a rutfling strip or ribbon to be rufiled or plaited may both be readily guided to the needle with little or no care on the part of the attendant. If, in addition to the band and ruliiing strip, it be desired to insert a piping, this can be passed above the ruttling blade carrier and beneath the arm 25 and thence through the guiding slot 44 at the forward end of the edge stitching guide 35. It will therefore be understood that, owing to the various guides afforded by the guide slots 44 and 44 in the laterally adjustable edge-stitchers 35, the guiding passage afforded between the overhanging arm 25 and the body of the rufiiing blade carrier 20, the guide slots 46 and 47 of the ruttling blade carrier, and the guide slots in the laterally adjustable guide 49, one of which is the slot 51 and the other of which is the space between the arm 54 and the overhanging arm 52, as shown in Fig. 3, a large variety of work may be performed on the improved ruttler by virtue of the various strips, piping, etc. which may be passed through the ruflier in addition to the ruiiiing strip; so that the attachment is adapted for a larger range of work than other rutliing attachments at present in use.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a sewing machine ruttler, the combination with the frame thereof, of a rulfling blade, a rufliing blade carrier having an upward extension and an overhanging arm, said arm being provided with an upward projection and the said frame being provided with a longitudinally slotted extension located above the said overhanging arm, the slot in the extension of said frame receiving said projection on said overhanging arm, so that the ruttling blade carrier will be positively guided back and forth in its reciprocating movements.

2. In a sewing machine rufiier, the combination with a separator blade and a rattling blade, of a rutlling blade carrier provided at the rear end of its body portion with a closed slot 47 having enlarged end portions 48 thereby adapted to guide a hemmed rutlling strip.

3. In a sewing machine ruttler, the combination with a separator plate and a ruttling blade, of a rutliing blade carrier provided in its body portion near its rear end with a short or narrow slot 46 having closed ends, said carrier also having in' its body portion and rearward of said short or narrow slot, a larger or wider slot 47 also having closed ends, and means for operating said carrier.

4. In a sewing machine ruttler, the combination with a separator plate and a ruttling blade, of a ruttling blade carrier provided in its body portion near its rear end with a short narrow slot 46 having closed ends, said carrier having also in its body portion and rearward of said short or narrow slot :1 larger or wider slot 47 also having closed ends, said slot 47 having enlarged end portions 48, and means for operating said carr er.

5. In a sewing machine rutlier, the combination with the frame thereof, of a rufliing blade, means for operating said blade, a frame having a presser foot portion, a laterally adjustable edge stitching guide mounted on said presser-foot portion above the said rufliing blade and provided with one or more guiding slots, and a springplate or washer by which said guide is frictionally retained in place.

6. In a sewing machine rutlier, the combination with the frame thereof, of a separate presser-foot piece yieldingly attached to said frame and provided with a central convex boss, the foot portion of said frame having a concave recess receiving said boss, a ruffling blade, and means for operating the said blade.

7. In a sewing machine ruflier, the combination with the frame thereof, of a separate presser foot piece yieldingly attached to said frame and provided with a central convex boss, the said foot portion of said frame having a concave recess receiving said boss, a rutfling blade, means for operating the said blade, and a laterally adjustable, spring metal edge-stitching guide mounted on said frame, and having a shoulder or part bearing upon the front edge of the said presser foot portion.

8. In a sewing machine rultler, the combination with a ruttling blade, of a carrier for said blade provided near its rear end with one or more guiding slots having closed ends, of the laterally adjustable guide 49 attached to the rear end of said carrier and comprising the connected arms 52, separated by the guide slot 51, and the in-folded arm 54 beneath one of said arms 52-.

9. Ina sewing machine rattler, the combination with a ruttling blade, of a carrier for said blade having an upward extension serving as a guiding edge above said carrier and an arm projecting horizontally from said extension above said carrier, of a strip guide mounted at the rear end of said carrier and laterally adjustable thereon.

10. In a sewing machine ruflier, the combination with a rutliing blade, of a carrier for said blade having an upward extension serving as a guiding edge above said carrier and an arm projecting horizontally from said extension above said carrier, of a strip guide mounted at the rear end of said carrier and laterally adjustable thereon, said strip guide comprising the separated arms 52 and the iii-folded arm 54 beneath one of said arms 52-.

11. In a sewing machine rutiier, the combination with the ruffiing blade and its carrier,

of an arm overhanging said carrier and prohaving an upward projection, and a frame part overhanging said arm and having a guiding slot in which said projection works; whereby said carrier is positively guided back and forth in its reciprocating move ments.

12. In a sewing machine rufiler, the combination with the frame thereof of a separate presser-foot piece having a pivotal and yield ing spring connection with said frame, means for limiting the turning movements of said resser-foot piece on its pivotal mounting, a ruflling blade, and means for operating said blade.

13. In a sewing machine ruttler, the combination with the frame thereof having a foot f'porti0n provided in its under side with a ing on its upper side a convex boss, a pivotpin yieldingly securing said presser footpiece to said foot portion of said frame, means for limiting the turning movements of said presser foot piece, a rutlling blade,

and means for operating said blade.

concave recess, of a presser-foot piece hav' In witness whereof, I have hereunto set 25 my hand, this 28th day of February 1906. IVINSLOIV B. PARSONS. In the presence of witnesses:

ANNA L. KAUFMAXX, B. HAYDEN. 

